AlanD

Hi,

I have the 2004 RX330 with the Mark Levinson audio upgrade. Recently, my in-dash CD changer failed and I brought it to my dealer to have the head unit replaced. When the car was returned to me, I noticed that the head unit did not have the Mark Levinson logo. I called the dealer and they said that it might have been a mistake so I brought it back to the dealer the following day. They again took a look at it, and claimed that the part numbers matched and therefore it was the Mark Levinson headunit even though it did not have the badge.

Obviously, this was unacceptable (just think about the resale value) and I insisted that they re-order a part with the appropriate Mark Levinson silkscreen. After all, even though the ampliifer is separate, the Mark Levinson upgrade is supposed to have the special SHARC based DSP equalization and the Mark Levinson designed DAC circuitry.

1) Does anyone have the part numbers for the three head units available for the RX (single CD, CD changer, Mark Levinson)? Are the ML and 6-disc changer the same?

2) Has anyone else had this experience? Do you think the dealer was trying to pull a fast one?

Thanks for your help.

salimshah

I am not sure about if this applies in your case but there is a possible scenairo.

Manufacture "L" has two suppliers "N" and "M" and at a certain point in time the "N" is dropped and "M" becomes exclusive supplier. [N may be cheaper due ot inferior quality] Once the on-the-shelf items from "N" are used up, the "M" will used to replace defective item. The distinctive logo of "M" may no longer be silk-screeened on the face plate.

Do you hear any difference or any feature is missing? You can alway get it in wrting from the dealer that the head unit is M-L to staify a potential buyer down the line.

Salim

AlanD

That wouldn't be a reasonable answer since a Pioneer head unit and a Mark Levinson head unit are sold at different prices at the time of purchase. I'm just wondering if someone with a service manual or access to the parts catalog can look into this.

The problem is that I did hear an audible difference. At first I didn't notice that the Mark Levinson logo was missing. Turned on the audio and I immediately noticed that the audio didn't sound as good. This made me look closer to verify that the settings were not incorrect, and that's when I realized there was no ML logo. At this point, since it's no longer a blind test, I'll obviously be biased into think it's worse.

It's not the same to have the letter because part of the Mark Levinson premium cost comes from the status of owning Mark Levinson equipment. It wouldn't be the same if you suddenly had Toyota badges on your car and had a letter saying that it's the same thing a Lexus...

I think I'll take this up with Lexus corporate.

LexusRX330

I had a problem with my CD changer on my 2004 RX330 two years ago. It was replaced by a Pioneer head unit so I contacted Lexus corporate and this was their response:

Dear Mr. XXX

Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department regarding your 2004 RX 330. The CD player is part of the one-piece head unit. The radio unit for the Mark Levinson System is a Pioneer unit and the amplifier and speakers are Mark Levinson's.

If you have any further questions or concerns, you can also reach the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

Sincerely,
Jeff XXX
Customer Satisfaction Representative

I then reply with the question:

Does this mean the ML stereo and the non-ML stereo have the same identical one-piece Pioneer head unit?

Lexus responded with:

Dear Mr. XXX:

Thank you for your response. Yes, you are correct. The head-units for both systems are identical.

Sincerely,
Jeff XXX
Customer Satisfaction Representative

Basically the ML upgrade is only for a diiferent amp and speakers. Your dealer made the correct replacement.